In Memory of Ann Scales 1952-2012

University of Denver professor Ann C. Scales died June 24 in Denver Hospice, the result of a brain injury sustained following a fall in her home. She was 60.

Scales came to the University of Denver in 2004. She taught Constitutional Law, Sexual Orientation and the Law, and Torts at the Sturm College of Law.

A noted feminist scholar, Scales was the author of numerous journal articles and books, including “Toward a Feminist Jurisprudence” 56 Ind. L.J. 375 (1981) and Legal Feminism: Activism, Lawyering and Legal Theory (New York University Press, 2006). The book analyzes sex discrimination in tort litigation and sexual assault in college athletic programs, among other topics. Throughout her teaching career, Scales practiced law, gaining expertise particularly in the fields of reproductive rights and GLBTI rights. She argued the case in which the New Mexico Supreme Court became the first high court of any state to hold that abortion funding is required by women’s interest in equality.

“Ann was a wonderful colleague, a wonderful person, a great teacher and one of the pioneers in feminist legal scholarship,” said Denver Law Dean Martin Katz. “She leaves an amazing legacy of ideas that influenced the law and students she inspired.”

Scales earned a B.A. in Philosophy and History from Wellesley College in 1974 and earned a J.D. from Harvard University in 1978.

Before coming to DU, Scales taught at the University of New Mexico Law School for 18 years. She was also a visiting professor at the University of Iowa Law School, Boston College Law School, the University of British Columbia, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Law.

Scales was born on May 29, 1952, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Her father, Dr. James Ralph Scales, was president of Oklahoma Baptist University from 1961–1965. She was a rodeo queen in Oklahoma before moving to North Carolina, where her father served as the eleventh president of Wake Forest University, from 1968 to 1983.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Ann Scales Memorial Professor Fund, which, depending on the level of support, will be used either to endow a chair in her memory or to support scholarly and teaching activities in her field. Contributions may be sent to the Office of Development, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Attn: Ricki Kelly, 2255 E. Evans Ave. Ste. 315, Denver, CO 80208.